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449
Anglo-Saxon Invasion
After Rome fell, not much Latin stuck in the English language in England. The Angle-Saxon used their own language instead of adapting to what the citizens of England used. -
Period: 500 to 1100
Old English
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597
The Christian Missionaries
They began to arrive in England in 597 led by Augustine. They had a big Latin vocabulary and manuscript written in Latin, even the Bible. They made the first literacy in England. -
700
Beowulf
This was the suspected date of when Beowulf's writing was created -
1000
The discovery of North America
Leif Erickson was the leader of the expedition. They were the first founders of North America in 1000 and named it Vinland. -
1066
Norman Invasion
William was crowned the new kind of England. This invasion brought an important change to the English language. -
1100
Capital of England
London becomes the capital of England in 1100 -
Period: 1100 to 1500
Middle English
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1387
Chaucer's Canterbury Tales
Chaucer was published in 1387. It is so important because he made the decision to write in English and not French. In the centuries following the Norman invasion, French was the language spoken by those in power. The Canterbury Tales was one of the first major works in literature written in English. -
1440
Printing Press
William Caxton was an English merchant, diplomat, and writer. He also invented the printing press. Most European texts were printed using a form of woodblock before 1440 when the printing press was invented. -
1500
The Great Vowel Shift
A drastic change in pronunciation of vowels in 1500-1700. The vowels began to be made higher and further forward in the mouth. -
Period: 1500 to
Early Modern English
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1525
Religious Texts
The publication of William Tyndale's bible translation was produced, but was initially banned by the Catholic Church. -
Shakespeare's First Folio
In 1623 Shakespeare's first folio of his play was published. This lead the path to many successful plays for Shakespeare. -
The American Revolution
The Revolutionary War arose in 1775 from growing tensions between residents of Great Britain's 13 North American colonies and the colonial government, which represented the British crown. -
Period: to
Late Modern English
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English Grammar
William Hazlitt publishes A New and Improved Grammar of the English Language. -
Telephone
Alexander Graham Bell invents the telephone, modernizing private communication. -
Texting
Text messaging is introduced, and the first modern blogs go online. -
Twitter
Twitter, a social networking and micro-blogging service, is created by Jack Dorsey.
